The parallel connection wires of conventional electrical circuit elements, when furnished to the consumer, do not have the close tolerances required for an automatic insertion of printed circuit boards (PCBs). In an automatic insertion, the connection wires of the circuit elements to be used are oriented in parallel and introduced from above, by means of a gripper, into the openings, or bores, of the circuit boards to be so equipped. In order to be certain of meeting the bores accurately, the gripper, which centers and firmly holds the connection wires, must be brought as close as possible to the bores. In the case of electrical circuit elements with relatively large and/or block-like dimensions, the connection wires cannot, if they are beyond a certain packing density, be introduced into the bores of the circuit board using a gripper. Circuit elements of this kind therefore necessitate a time-consuming insertion by hand.